Fairly vs Well - What's the difference?
fairly | well | Related terms |
In a fair manner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.
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Favorably; auspiciously; commodiously.
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Honestly; properly.
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*1859 , Alexander Easton, A Practical Treatise on Street or Horse-Power Railways , p.108, "Rules adopted by the Sixth Avenue Railway, N. Y.":
*:10. You will be civil and attentive to passengers, giving proper assistance to ladies and children getting in or out, and never start the car before passengers are fairly received or landed.
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*:They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly . Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too..
Softly; quietly; gently.
Partly, not fully; somewhat.
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*, chapter=3
, title= *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-03, volume=408, issue=8847, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= (lb) Accurately, competently, satisfactorily.
* {{quote-book, 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, chapter=The Tutor's Daughter, Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page=
, passage=In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well -remembered road.}}
*
, title= * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= (lb) Completely, fully.
*
(lb) To a significant degree.
*
*
*
Very (as a general-purpose intensifier).
* 1999 , "Drummond Pearson", What Ash are doing right now...'' (on Internet newsgroup ''alt.music.ash )
* 2002 , "jibaili", FIFA 2003 How is it?'' (on Internet newsgroup ''microsoft.public.xbox )
* 2003 , Steve Eddy, Empower, Book 2
In such manner as is desirable; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favourably; advantageously.
* (John Dryden) (1631-1700)
* (John Milton) (1608-1674)
* (Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)
In good health.
(archaic) Prudent; good; well-advised.
* 1897 , National Association of Railway Surgeons, Railway surgeon , page 191:
Used to acknowledge a statement or situation.
* , chapter=5
, title= An exclamation of surprise, often doubled or tripled.
Used in speech to express the overcoming of reluctance to say something.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=“Well ,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.}}
Used in speech to fill gaps; filled pause.
A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids.
* Bible, John iv. 11
A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; a spring.
* Milton
A small depression suitable for holding liquid, or other objects.
(figurative) A source of supply.
* Spenser
* Keble
(nautical) A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate.
(nautical) The cockpit of a sailboat.
(nautical) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported to market.
(nautical) A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of the water.
(military) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.
(architecture) An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.
(metalworking) The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls.
A well drink.
(video games) The playfield of the video game Tetris , into which the blocks fall.
To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.
* Dryden
* Bryant
To have something seep out of the surface.
Fairly is a related term of well.
As an adverb fairly
is in a fair manner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.As an adjective well is
wild.fairly
English
Adverb
(en adverb)Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.}}
Yesterday’s fuel, passage=The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude fetched $18 (around $450 at today’s prices). It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber.}}
Usage notes
* This is a non-descriptive qualifier'', similar to quite and rather and somewhat, and some other degree adverbs. Used where a plain adjective needs to be modified, but cannot be qualified. When spoken, the meaning can vary with the tone of voice and stress. ''He was fairly' big can mean anything from "not exactly small" to "almost huge".well
English
(wikipedia well)Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) (m), . Related to (will).Alternative forms
* (dialectal) * (Scotland) *Adverb
266
Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well . Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand.}}
Welcome to the plastisphere, passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.}}
- Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
- That guy rocks! I think he's called Matthew Lillard or sommat but he is well cool in Scream.
- Hey Dude / FIFA 2003 is well wicked, I've got FIFA 2002 on PS2, David Beckham on Xbox and Football Manager on Xbox too, out of all pf(SIC) them FIFA 2003 is easliy(SIC) the best.
- Hey, you should've seen it, it was well good.
- It boded well to you.
- Know / In measure what the mind may well contain.
- All the world speaks well of you.
Derived terms
* all too well * as well * do well by doing good * full well * fully well * just as well * pretty well * well and truly * well-behaved * well-known * well-mannered * well-padded * well-read * well-usedAdjective
- I had been sick, but now I'm well .
- On leaving the operating table it is well to put the patient in a bed previously warmed and supplied with hot cans.
Derived terms
* full well * get well * * well-beingInterjection
(en interjection)Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=“Well ,” I says, “I cal'late a body could get used to Tophet if he stayed there long enough.” ¶ She flared up; the least mite of a slam at Doctor Wool was enough to set her going.}}
Derived terms
*Etymology 2
From (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.
- Begin, then, sisters of the sacred well .
- Dan Chaucer, well of English undefiled
- a well of serious thought and pure
- They're having a special tonight: $1 wells .
Derived terms
* ink well * light well (architecture) * oil well * spare tire well, spare tyre well * window well (architecture) * wishing wellEtymology 3
From (etyl) (m). Cognate with German .Verb
(en verb)- [Blood] welled from out the wound.
- [Yon spring] wells softly forth.
- Her eyes welled with tears.